Eastman memories

To my way of thinking the very epicenter of Rochester's beauty, artistry and creativity has been and always will be Eastman School of Music. I captured this late night image to bring to mind the hundreds of thousands of hours spent by decades of hopeful musicians in practice rooms, master classes, in lessons and auditions and in performances.

It brings back memories of my GRYWE concerts, lessons with Bonita Boyd, Linda DiMartino and John Thomas, and the awe-inspiring visual, emotional and auditory feasts spent under that twinkling chandelier. That's where I fell in love with music and with you, Eastman School of Music.

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Favorite Destination: Genesee Country Village & Museum

My daydreams these days revolve around a fully converted, off-grid-capable camper van, an assortment of photography/computer/wifi gear, a thermos of fresh coffee, a full tank of gas and miles of open road. Sadly, I have neither the budget nor expertise to convert a van, much less launch out on a fall foliage tour of the Adirondacks, America’s breathtaking national parks or wherever that open road might take me. Instead, I watch Facebook and Instagram and travel vicariously through the images of friends and mentors. Which is why my bi-weekly day-trips to the hamlet of Mumford have been a godsend over the last two years. Without spending more than a few dollars for gas and traveling less than an hour west on Routes 5&20, I can be transported — for the better part of a day — to another world. Genesee Country Village and Museum, the third largest living museum in the United States, is a 600-acre complex boasting 68 historical buildings and an army of costumed interpreters who love loca...

Perspective

In this composite using my macro rose with a friend's drone photo, I combined his expansive perspective with my intimate point of view. It's a great analogy for how I like to create — examine all sides of a subject before shooting, writing or forming an opinion about it. Both views are essential, and it's often of great benefit to view them at the same time.

Saratoga Racetrack

You know those places you return to again and again, where each time is just like the first and still better than the last? Saratoga is one of those places for me, and particularly the racetrack, where money and booze, thoroughbreds and jockeys, silk and leather, cigars and fancy hats rub shoulders and exchange nods like members of a secret society. The horses are sexy and strong. The women are perfumed and their rainbow colored hair meticulously coifed. Men look snappy and elegant if they're owners or regulars, and tired and intensely focused if they're handlers. Teller lines are long but fast moving and all faces are furtively fixed on video boards and CC TVs. Trackside, the atmosphere is electric and bright as thoroughbreds thunder by, sweating, gasping, veins and muscles bulging and covered in mud. Yeah. I like it. I hope I get to go back.

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